Austin P. McKenzie

Austin P. McKenzie

Born: August 24, 1993
in Mesa, Arizona, USA
Austin P. McKenzie (born August 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Melchior Gabor in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. His performance as Melchior has garnered significant critical acclaim, and multiple theatrical award nominations, for both Los Angeles runs and its run on Broadway. The show ran two weeks past its intended run due to its rave reviews, and garnered three Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical.

Starting at age fifteen, McKenzie spent six summers assisting at a summer camp for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities called Lions Camp Tatiyee. It is where he first came in contact with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The camp inspired him to enroll at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied American Sign Language and Childhood Education with the intention of becoming a special needs teacher. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor's degree in American Sign Language and Vocal Performance.

Soon after graduating from Columbia College Chicago, McKenzie sent in a tape to director Michael Arden and the creative team at Deaf West Theatre, with hopes of obtaining a job as an interpreter during the company's ASL-inclusive run of Spring Awakening. However, the Deaf West team saw his potential, and requested he audition for the leading role in the production—the radical atheist Melchior Gabor. He was given the role it was his professional theatre debut.

He starred in the feature film Speech & Debate, adapted from the hit 2007 off-Broadway play of the same name by Tony-winning playwright Stephen Karam. He also starred in the ABC miniseries When We Rise. He portrays the young LGBT activist Cleve Jones in the period piece, which chronicles the struggles of LGBTQ people who helped pioneer an offshoot of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century.

He then portrayed Fred in the film Unhinged, starring Russell Crowe.

Movies for Austin P. McKenzie...

Unhinged
Title: Unhinged
Character: Fred
Released: July 16, 2020
Type: Movie
Rachel is a divorced single mother whose bad day gets even worse. She's running late to drop her son off at school when she honks her horn impatiently at a fellow driver during rush-hour traffic. After an exchange of words, she soon realizes that the mysterious man is following her and her young son in his truck. A case of road rage quickly escalates, at horrifyingly psychotic proportions, into full-blown terror as Rachel discovers the psychopath's sinister plan for revenge. He is single-mindedly determined to teach her a deadly lesson.
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In the Time It Takes to Get There
Title: In the Time It Takes to Get There
Character: Naked Young Man
Released: April 3, 2019
Type: Movie
The routines and strifes of a disenchanted social media influencer are reimagined with an 18th century backdrop.
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Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill
Title: Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill
Character: Conrad Roy III
Released: September 23, 2018
Type: Movie
Two suicidal teenagers, Conrad and Michelle, turn to each other for support, communicating via text messages. But when Conrad expresses his desire to end his life, instead of trying to stop him as she had previously, Michelle encourages Conrad to take his life, even providing him suggestions on how to do it.
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Speech & Debate
Title: Speech & Debate
Character: Howie
Released: April 7, 2017
Type: Movie
Frustrated by the hypocrisy they see in their parents, teachers, and the entire school board, an unlikely trio set out to find a common truth and make their voices heard as they revive a defunct school club and take on the world.
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Title: When We Rise
Character: Young Cleve Jones
Released: February 27, 2017
Type: TV
The personal and political struggles, setbacks and triumphs of a diverse family of LGBT men and women who helped pioneer one of the last legs of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from its turbulent infancy in the 20th century to the once unfathomable successes of today. The period piece tells the history of the gay rights movement, starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.
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Goodbye, Charley
Title: Goodbye, Charley
Character: Charley
Released: May 12, 2015
Type: Movie
A recently deceased gay teen roams his high school halls on the day of his memorial.